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  • Video format advice (request)

    apologies for not having checked HT in a loooong time; got side tracked by all kinds of stuff :-( am facing a situation and i remembered the many bits of helpful advice found here so if anyone has a suggestion, i'm all ears.

    a friend is having an informal event coming up and she asked if i would video tape part of it. sure, i'd be happy to. i've got a Sony HDR-CX160; nothing super fancy but it's decent enough. i took a test shot today (got it recently) and a one minute shot weighed about 191 MB; the format is weird to me but of course it's a sony thing (MTS format). i converted it into an mp4 file and it ended up being about 180 MB with the quality being okay. i then converted it into a QT movie and the file size was only 21.5 MB and the quality was clearly better. surprising to me but it doesn't matter. all i want is the best bang for the buck and that's my question for anyone out there who is wise in the ways of video :-)

    is QT generally the best "format" to use?

    any particular converter that is superior to others?


    i'm not too concerned about file size; picture quality is the most important thing. i'm guessing that she'll just burn a couple of the video files on to a DVD and give them to friends.

    since the video will be shot in HD, i'm hoping that the people who watch the video will be able to recognize that the picture quality is pretty good.

    oh, i should add that the event will be in the evening under fluorescent lighting and the people will be moving around so it'll be a challenge.

    thanks for any suggestions you guys might have!
    525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

  • #2
    Re: Video format advice (request)

    Any idea on the length of the event? Does it run for 30 minutes? 60 minutes?

    Have you tried testing out shooting a video for around that amount of time?

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    • #3
      Re: Video format advice (request)

      i think the total time might be 40 minutes. i'm curious though: what impact does the length have to do with format/container?

      ps: thanks for any suggestions you might have; i remember previous comments from past threads and i know you know what you're talking about.
      525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

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      • #4
        Re: Video format advice (request)

        I am partial to Quicktime for the reasons you give, plus a couple of others. The audio is often a lot (a lot!) better in QT, and it is less given to such weirdness as audio/video not syncing and that weird digital pixel-type breakdown you sometimes see. This is all anecdotal, by the way. I haven't done any reading or research on the subject; I've only noticed these things in my own experiences in the classroom.
        But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
        GrouchyTeacher.com

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        • #5
          Re: Video format advice (request)

          funny you should say that; when i tested the mp4 file, it got pixelated when i zoomed in and there was a bit of movement; definitely not acceptable. the QT file, to my surprise, is way smaller and yet there was no pixelization when it got to the same event during playback! so at the moment, QT appears to be my best bet.

          ps: howzit scriv! long time no see! my daughter and i frequent that shave ice spot but haven't seen you since! hope all's well with you.
          525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

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          • #6
            Re: Video format advice (request)

            we have a canon model something that records to a SD card and use apple imovie.

            so the output format from imovie will be some kind of quicktime.

            my concern is lighting... make sure you take a quick sample and adjust the white balance!

            once you have the video you can cup, chop, edit as needed using your video software and choose a format you like.

            good luck!

            joel

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            • #7
              Re: Video format advice (request)

              yup, lighting is a real issue. thanks for the suggestion. i've been meaning to take a short video to test how things would look in the evening with just the lights.

              on a related note, i'm using a program called xvid4psp to convert video files from one format to another. is there a program that's better that you'd recommend???
              525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

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